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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Why just a few days ago mayor janice daniels was telling a college student to remember she is a human being. It's good that she recognizes her own humanity. I wonder when she will begin to understand that those she disagrees with (most of us)or who don't share her political morality (most of us) or political opinion (RINOs, right janice?) are humans as well?I won't hold my breath.

Troy mayor won't apologize for 5-month-old Facebook status

The Detroit News

Troy — The city's newly elected mayor on Friday said she won't apologize for a Facebook status update she wrote five months ago referring to gay people as "queers," saying she was speaking for herself when she wrote it and she has a First Amendment right to use the language she wants.

On June 25, the same day New York voted to legalize gay marriage, Janice Daniels posted an update on her wall, "I think I'm going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there."

Even though the update was written in June, on Friday more than 205 people shared it on their own Facebook pages, many referring to Daniels as homophobic and bigoted.

One gay rights group, Equality Michigan, called on Daniels, a tea party activist who was elected mayor of this suburban city 20 miles north of Detroit in November, to apologize.

"We are shocked and appalled and call on the mayor to apologize, and to endorse a nondiscrimination ordinance in her city that protects gay and transgender residents of Troy from the harm that such language breeds," the group wrote on its Facebook wall Friday afternoon.

But Daniels said she wouldn't apologize. She said she wasn't even thinking about running for mayor of Troy at the time she wrote the update.

"I was thinking for myself," said Daniels late Friday. "My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman. And I'm not going to change my opinion on that. But I love people."

And while some may consider "queer" an offensive word, Daniels doesn't. She said gays often refer to themselves with the term.

Denise Brogan-Kator, executive director of Equality Michigan, said many LGBT people do use the word "queer" as "a way to reclaim a word that has historically been used to hurt us, by the majority." But that wasn't Daniels' intent, she said.

"I am truly shocked at such disregard for the effects that such language has had on our community," she wrote on her Facebook page Friday. "Either she doesn't know — which is remarkable, given the news about the rise in violent crimes committed against the gay and transgender community — or she intended it. Either way, I find it shameful."

Still, Daniels said, "as mayor I know I represent all people and I'd like to move on" and address the many issues Troy is facing.